Wireless questions for large, old house

[slunk]

I know some of these quesions get redundant, but I have some specific questions I would appreciate answers to. My parents and siblings live in a two-story, 90 year-old house. The house is right at 5,000 square feet. The walls on the inside are plaster, and they are about 6-9 inches thick (really thick). When we first moved into the house, the electricians took two weeks to do what they thought would take two days. Wiring the house is completely out of question!

My dad wants DSL soon (within 6 months), but we need to figure out a network first. I plan on using a Zyxel ZyWall-1 router for hook-up to the DSL modem. The modem will be placed on the second-story, right in the center of the house. The Zywall will then be connected to the main desktop system, which will eventually be used for a VPN connection to my dad's business. Also connected to the Zywall will be an Agere Orinoco RG-1000 AP. The AP will be used to give another desktop and two laptops DSL access. The desktop will have an Orinoco Gold USB adapter installed, while the laptops will have Orinoco Gold PCMCIA cards installed.

Questions:

1. Is this a favorable setup for a house like this?
2. Can I expect strong signals throughout the house?
3. Is it still a good time to focus on 802.11b, or should I wait for the next standard (802.11g, a?, if they ever make it)?


thanks for your time!

 

[slunk]

~

 

[Tallgeese]

Waiting for G may be much like waiting for Godot....interminable.

VERY difficult to tell how your signal penetration will shake out.
Only way to know for sure is to do a site survey and check for best RG placement.
Have completed wireless for two houses nearly identical to what you describe (your father or mother a doctor, perchance?) very recently.
Each time, was VERY surprised by our results on RG placement.

In our testing, Orinoco RGs tend to send an "umbrella" pattern.
Locating your RG on the 2nd floor is a VERY good idea in this case.

Assuming you are talking wood floors in this house, you wiil get EXCELLENT penetration of signal anywhere the direct line from client to AP is though just ceiling and floor.
Load bearing walls are the worst, whether in modern or older homes. Solid structural support tends to relfect signal. What does get through is so swiss-cheesed, it's spotty at best.

The USB client will see better performance (all other things being equal) because it has a stronger antenna.

Orinoco's RG series does not officially support external antennas for the RG. However, Orinoco's AP series DOES support external antennas, which can offer a PROFOUND difference in signal quality and distance. More $$$ tho.

 

[slunk]

Yes, they do have wooden floors. What are we seeing for the price difference betwen Orinoco RGs and APs, and how much do the antennas range?

 

[slunk]

anyone else? "conventional wisdom?"

 

[DaiShan]

listen to tallgeese he is da man (one of them lol) also I have a question for you, if you dont already have all of this equiptment why not just pick up a router/ap combo like the linksys product. I am using it and it is extremely simple to set up, just plug the ethernet connection from the modem into the jack on the back of the unit, and configure each individual adapter and you are set.

 

[slunk]

I'd like to have the best security that is affordable. The Zywall router is supposed to be one of the best firewalls in entry-level routers. The Orinoco AP is the most secure AP in its price range, and, if I go with the next step up Orinoco, I have the option of adding an antenna if need be. Plus, I do not like Linksys routers. I've used one, and it just seemed like crap. I now use a Netgear router, and I like it much better. Netgear RT314 and Zyxel Zywall-1 are pretty much the same thing, but Zyxel provides better customer support, more features, and more frequently updated firmware.

 

[Tallgeese]

<< Yes, they do have wooden floors. What are we seeing for the price difference betwen Orinoco RGs and APs, and how much do the antennas range? >>

All depends upon the type of antenna.

Orinoco's RG (and the newer BG) kits are very affordable--around $225 including 1 USB ($115) and 1 PC Card ($82) radio--for the quality involved. The AP units--$640 for AP-1000 (w/ 2 radios)--get a bit pricier, mainly since the radio units are not normally included (although the AP-500 DOES include the radio).

Check out the specs of Orinoco's Range Extender Antenna--$60 per--for an idea of the difference it can make.

BTW: Consider your house a "semi-open" space, fer sure...